Negative Impact of News

While in many ways news is a tool which enables people to become more educated and make good decisions, it can also be a destructive force. In a world of rolling news, many psychologists are concerned about the effect that it can have on an individual’s or a communities mental health. They argue that when we are constantly bombarded with negative news, we become overly concerned and fearful and that this can lead to severe mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

Studies have also shown that when journalists quiz people about the events of a traumatic event, as they now often do directly after a terrorist attack, this can lead to serious problem in the future. Asking them to recall what they saw soon after it happened can lead to cementing the event in the brain to firmly for them to forget about and move forward with their lives.

With such a range of news available at our fingertips, we are, without question, more informed than ever before. However, it appears that this may not be good for us and that we should moderate our news input and keep it in context.